Utah: Corsa Motorsports preview

REVOLUTIONARY GZ09 HYBRID WILL DEBUT AT THE UTAH GRAND PRIX
The Corsa Motorsports Ginetta-Zytek hybrid prototype race car made its
long awaited, first public appearance this week. It will run in its first
race this weekend.
The...

REVOLUTIONARY GZ09 HYBRID WILL DEBUT AT THE UTAH GRAND PRIX

The Corsa Motorsports Ginetta-Zytek hybrid prototype race car made its
long awaited, first public appearance this week. It will run in its first
race this weekend.

The car, 13-months in production, is the headline entry in
the American LeMans Series' Larry H. Miller Utah Grand Prix.

Qualifying will begin on Saturday. The car will race in the
high-speed LMP1 class on Sunday at the Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele,
Utah.

The main focus of the LeMans event will be on Corsa's
new hybrid, a race car designed entirely around space-age
"green'' technology.

The car was shipped to the United Kingdom last year and, under the
direction of Zytek engineers, transformed into a hybrid race car capable
of being competitive at high speeds. Zytek has a long and successful
history in electric-car technology.

The Corsa car employs a Kinetic Energy Recovery System that turns
mechanical energy, from a fuel-powered internal combustion engine, into
more efficient electrical energy, which will run an onboard DC motor.

"We are, just now, at this race, doing the sub-orbital
flight. There are a lot of things we don't know at this point. A
lot of questions will be answered at this race. The technology
we're using isn't space age, but it's not far
off,'' he said.

The car was tested in England last week and then brought to
Utah.

When the car takes the track on Friday for test runs, it will
be the first time both mechanical and electrical systems will be engaged,
"so there's a lot of hope and faith riding in this
race,'' said Pruitt.

During this race, the car will alternate on demand between
mechanical and electrical power for optimal performance throughout the
race. How the captured energy is going to be applied, however, is but one
of the unknowns engineers will be studying.

Driving honors during the LeMans race will be shared by
Johnny Mowlem and Stefan Johansson. The car is sponsored by the Salt Lake
Hilton.

The race also part of the season-long MICHELIN Green X Challenge. Tickets
for the race are available at americanlemans.com or
millermotorsportspark.com.